It’s been an accepted fact that the growth & brand success metrics in 2011 will be redefined. A significant portion will be determined by how effectively companies dovetail their offline marketing with the burgeoning online presence. By offline, I am not referring merely to just print, tv or radio advertising.


No matter how much we web marketers and social media strategists kill ourselves with memos of obliterating offline existence, we still prefer to go to tweetups , engage in conversations over coffee ,  make a point to attend conferences and additionally make sure those conferences have a plethora of “networking” sessions. All of these and more are part of offline marketing efforts, especially for B2B ventures, consultants and startups.


For majority of retailers, financial institutions and/or other B2C entities, any customer facing brick and morter store or a customer service division ( I hate the term call center) are part of their offline marketing mix.


In his recent blog post, Joe Pulizzi of Junta 42 made a pretty strong case of intertwining the two channels.


From a customer standpoint, offline media still holds a significant comforting appeal that can’t be neglected. Reading the morning newspaper, picking up magazines before boarding a flight or a train, watching tv at the gym or after dinner, are hard to give up habits. It’s still easier and more assuring to engage online with someone only after that first coffee meeting or a drink at the networking session, wherever it was.


Another reason to have thousands of offline or physical “web related conferences” all over the country & the world.


From a marketer’s standpoint, offline is still by & large an easier medium to get attention from the most relevant audience.


A recent article on the Business Insider reported that a comfortable 18% businesses stated they will increase their spending on print in 2011. The article does not cover how many additionally will maintain their current spending.


So for those who are thinking of completely moving out of offline presence and placing their brands at the mercy of virtual world, it might actually make more sense to start weaving a strategic offline plan into this year’s marketing mix .


I have always been a strong proponent of multi-channel marketing. But this time, I am even more determined to act.  Hence, this  opening blog topic for the new year from a hardcore “web marketer” like me.


What do you think? What else do you do other than your online efforts to get your brand name out there?


Please let us know.


Here’s wishing you a successful, multi-channel happiness filled year ahead!